neuzeit instruments Quasar Manual

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uasar

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Document version 1.10 - Firmware version 1.10

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Summary of Contents for neuzeit instruments Quasar

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Page 2: Table Of Contents
Quasar 1/2 - Room damping | Room size Quasar 1/2 - LFO Waveform | LFO Speed Quasar 1/2 - LFO Amt Height | LFO Amt Angle Quasar 1/2 - LFO Amt Distance | Actions Input 1/2 - Filter | Volume...
Page 3: Module Overview
- stereo jack PHON for headphones * Actually, a quasar is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole. Quasars are also used for navigation through the cosmos. But most of all, they look really cool.
Page 4: Signalflow
The diagram below can also be found on our website in high resolution. Quasar accepts audio signals via its input sockets ~IN1 and ~IN2. The gain of the respective input is set with potentiometers. The input signals are each dis- tributed to Quasar 1, Quasar 2 and the center position via separate high/low pass filters and internal volume controls. The operation is the same as a matrix...
Page 5: Volume Meters
The position perceived here corresponds to the center, the sound seems to come from inside the head. The volume mix of Quasar 1, Quasar 2 and the center position CNTR is adjusted with the potentiometers on the top of the module. Their sum is routed to the OUTL/R output jacks and the PHON headphone jack, whose volume can also be individually adjusted with the corresponding potentiometers.
Page 6: Coordinate System
Coordinate system Quasar works in polar coordinates. This means that the location of a virtual sound source is specified by the angle in the horizontal plane (azimuth), the angle in the vertical plane (elevation) and the distance to the listener‘s head. Polar coordinates are an alternative to cartesian coordinates where locations are specified by XYZ axis. The way Quasar‘s algorithm is built, polar coordi- nates lead to better sound quality and are also the more natural way to move sound sources around the head.
Page 7: Quasar 1/2 - Height | Angle
Quasar 1/2 - Height | Angle The left encoder determines the Height of the sound source by changing the elevation in a range from -30.0° to +45.0°. The sound thus appears to come from above or below. The turquoise LEDs visually indicate the elevation. Highl- ighted LEDs on the upper half indicate a positive value, meaning the tone ap- pears to be coming from above, while highlighted LEDs on the lower path in- dicate negative values, meaning the tone appears to be coming from below.
Page 8: Quasar 1/2 - Distance | Room Reverb Amount
Quasar 1/2 - Distance | Room reverb amount This menu is used to set the Distance of the virtual position of the quasar on the left side and the amount of reverb of the emulated Room on the right side.
Page 9: Quasar 1/2 - Lfo Waveform | Lfo Speed
The band- pass filter taps the signal at the input of Quasar 1 or Quasar 2 and causes only the frequencies in the set range to be used for the envelope analysis. Note: The LFO Range in the menu SETTINGS > LFO Speed Range also has an influence on the response speed of the envelope follower.
Page 10 LFO is set in the menu SETTINGS > LFO Speed Range. Select the speed range of each Quasar‘s LFO individually by by turning the big aluminum encoders (Slow, Medium, Fast). Turning the PARA encoder changes both ranges at once.
Page 11: Quasar 1/2 - Lfo Amt Height | Lfo Amt Angle
LFO Copy to Copy LFO parameters (waveform, speed and amount values) to the other QSR other Quasar. Either from QSR1 to QSR2 or from QSR2 to QSR1. LFO/Pos Copy to Copy LFO values and coordinate values (Height, Angle, Distance) to other QSR the the other Quasar.
Page 12: Input 1/2 - Filter | Volume
Input 1/2 - Filter | Volume The audio inputs can be flexibly routed to the targets Quasar 1 (QSR1), Quasar 2 (QSR2) and center position (CNTR). The Volume as well as a preceding lowpass or highpass Filter can be set. Enter the IN1 or IN2 menu, then turn the PARA encoder to scroll through the availa-...
Page 13: Settings
In this menu the speed of the LFOs can be adjusted in three steps: Slow, Medi- um and Fast. Turn the big aluminum encoders to set each Quasar‘s LFO range separately. Turn the PARA encoder to change them both at the same time.
Page 14: More
MORE menu page. MORE - Save Preset The sound of Quasar can be saved as a preset and recalled later. To do this, select the „Save Preset“ option from the menu. In the next screen, use the PARA rotary encoder to select one of the 128 preset slots from the list. If you...
Page 15: More - Bypass
MORE - Bypass From time to time it may be useful to listen to Quasar‘s input signals as an un- treated reference. To avoid having to reconnect patch cords externally, Qua- sar offers a bypass function. When entering the Bypass menu, the inputs IN1 and IN2 are immediately rou- ted to the outputs without any sound processing.
Page 16: More - Brightness
Values between +-50.0 are common. Copy presets from SD card Quasar contains an internal Micro SD card that is used as a permanent memo- ry, including the stored presets. You can insert the SD card into a computer. Each preset is a separate file in the folder PRESETS on the SD-card. The number in the filename tells the index of the preset in Quasar‘s list view. Numbers can...
Page 17: Create A Binaural Landscape
(1) accordingly. All presets explained Quasar comes with some Factory Presets. These are intended to give a basic overview of the module‘s functions and should also serve as a starting point. To load a preset, navigate to the MORE > Load Preset menu and select the desired preset from the list.
Page 18 Angle 0° directly in front of the listener and are located rather further away. The output level of the quasar is therefore rather low in this starting position. When trigger signals are applied to CV1 or CV2, the LFO of QSR 1 or QSR2 is started and the sound sources move from far away close to the left or right side of the head respectively.
Page 19 Both inputs are routed to QSR1, QSR2 and CNTR. Experiment with filters and vo- lume settings depending on the input signal to get interesting results. Also the Room parameters of each Quasar add a lot of character to the sound. Tremolo Walk This preset is also a tremolo effect. It has QSR1 and QSR2 moving in opposite directions around the head at slow speed.
Page 20 tion mode. Although the Angle parameter is not accessible for the user when Auto rotation is enabled, it is still available as a target of the CV mapping. By applying a control voltage to CV2, the phase offset of the rotating Angle of QSR1 and QSR2 is changed while they both keep the same auto rotation speed.
Page 21: Get The Most Out Of Quasar
- Use the Filters to create a frequency crossover. Add a lowpass to the center position and a highpass to the Quasar 1/2. This keeps the bass nicely in the center while only mid and high frequencies travel around your head. This pre-...
Page 22: More Background, Please
More background, please! Spatial hearing is an ability made possible by the placement of our two ears on the sides of our head. The illustration below shows the impact of direct and room sound on our body. Their effects are described in the following, so this illustration may be helpful for a general understanding.
Page 23 behind us. By turning our head, we are able to convert the localization from a front-back problem to a much simpler left-right localization. For height perception, the change in the frequency spectrum due to refrac- tion at the torso, head and auricle is especially crucial. Therefore, sounds from the side are easier to distinguish in height because the sound waves are ref- racted in a more complex way than when they hit the body from the front or back.
Page 24 However, as all humans have slight- ly different body shapes, our brains are specifically trained for our very own ears only. This is why Quasar offers several Ear Types to choose from, aiming to provide good localization for everybody while still using a generic algorithm.
Page 25: What Quasar Is
What Quasar is Quasar is a binaural audio mixer that lets you experience three-dimensional listening on headphones. You will be able to let sounds travel anywhere around your head, be it front, back, top, bottom, left, right, far away or very close. By processing external CVs and featuring a variety of internal modulation, dynamically moving sound sources can be programmed.
Page 26: What Quasar Is Not
Haas-effect and other tools that mainly rely on introducing time delay differences in the range of 10-20 Milliseconds between the right and the left channel. The impact Quasar has on the audio signal is quite subtile in terms of signal processing, only our brain reacts disproportionately strongly to the effect Quasar creates.
Page 27: Performing A Firmware Update
Performing a firmware update Quasar is a digital module, which means that new functions may be available in the future, which can be loaded onto the module through a firmware update. The „brain“ of the Quasar is a separate microcontroller board, called „Teensy“, which is placed inside the module. The Teensy has a USB port that must be used to connect the Quasar to a computer for a firmware update.
Page 28 Step 8 Now take the Quasar back out of the rack with one hand, take the toothpick in the other hand and press the button on the Teensy board that is accessible through the small hole on the back of the Quasar.
Page 29: Restore And Share Presets
Restore and share presets Quasar stores data such as user presets on an internal Micro SD card. Nor- mally, there is no reason to ever unplug the SD card from the module, but in case you want to restore factory presets or transfer your own presets to anot- her Quasar, you need to do this with help of a computer.
Page 30: Safety Instructions
Neuzeit Instruments‘ warranty. Water is deadly to most electrical equipment unless it is made wa- terproof. This Neuzeit Instruments module is not intended for use in a damp or wet environment. Do not allow liquids or other conduc- tive substances to enter the module.

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